Friday, September 20, 2013

#BookReview: Life in Spades by Frances Frost

I'm usually hesitant to read books by authors that approach me through email or social media. It's not that I don't think they can write, it's that most of the time, they disregard my review request guidelines and try to pitch books that don't appeal to me in the least. Then along came Frances Frost with her novel Life in Spades.
When she first approached me about it back in March, my schedule was full. She sent it anyway, well she tried to. My post office shut down with no advance warning and it was returned to her, but she was determined to get it to me and I'm so glad she did. I absolutely loved the women of Life in Spades.

One of the first things I noticed and appreciated about the women was their careers. It seems that in most books about groups of women, there's an attorney, a doctor, your typical high-powered career. This group included a baker, an event planner, a realtor and an escort; not at all your typical careers. Frost also makes them as likable as they are realistic.

While Gina deals with how her opinionated mother views her interracial relationship, Cookie is working to move from the past into the present with the new man in her life. Sherry has done the marriage thing, but not the parenthood thing, and isn't really sure that she wants to. As she accompanies some of the most accomplished men to events, Laura maintains a professional distance from her clients, which leads to a lot of lonely days and nights.

The women meet regularly over a few hands of spades, but their friendship extends far beyond that. I enjoyed reading about their interactions with each other. They seemed real and didn't sugarcoat anything to avoid hurting feelings, much like real friends do in real life. If you enjoyed Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale, you're going to love Life in Spades.